Ball-bearing



(No Model.) Y

F. M. LBCHNER y.BALL BEARING.

. No. 543,876. I Patented Aug. 6; 1895.

i f 3 i551 y bnf IINrrnD STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS M. LECHNER, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

BALL-BEARING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 543,876, dated August 6, 1895.

Application tiled March 9, 1895.

To all wifi/om gt may concern;

Beit known that I, FRANCIS IWI. LEOHNER,

,a citizen of the United States, residing at Cocomplish in the manner illustrated in the ac'l companying drawings, in which- Figure l is a central Vertical longitudinal section through a wheel-hub having my improved bearing therein. Fig. 2 is a view in elevation ofthe boxing. Fig. 3 is a view in elevation of one of. the boxing or bearing 'rings or sections, and Fig. 4 is an end view of the same.

Similar letters refer tosimilar parts throughout the several views.

ci represents the spindle of a wheel-axle, the latter being provided at intervals with peripheral grooves b. The spindle thus grooved is adapted to besurrounded by a boxing consisting of a number of ring-sections c, which telescope one within the other.

The first ring-section, or that which is employed about the inner end of the spindle, consists, as shown in the drawings, of a collar or short tubular body, which is provided on its 4inner end with an enlarged head or peripheral flange d. The outer end of this inner ring or tube c is, as indicated at e, concaved to provide a bearing for and conform to the surface curves of a circular row of bearing-balls e', which also bear in the inner one of the spindle-grooves. Each of the remaining ring-sections forming the boxing, with the exception of the outer section, which, as hereinafter described, varies slightly in form, consists of a tubular body, which has formed with its upper portion an inward extension f of less thickness than the body of the ring c, and which hasl formed with its lower portion an outward extension g correa sponding in thickness with the inward extensain No. 541,122. (No modell) sionf. This outward extension has its outer end concaved to conform to the concaved ends of the first or inner ring c. As shown in the drawings, the upper ring extension f has its vupper side iiush with the upper side ofV the ring-body, while the lower ring extension g has its under side flush with the under side of said ring-body.

Through each of the extensionsf, and near the outer end thereof, is formed an opening 7i. The shoulder formed by the junction of the forward extensionfand the body of each of the rings is, as shown, rounded or concaved, as indicated at rl. In connecting the ring-sections, formed as above described, to complete my improved boxing, the inner extension fof the second ring-section from the inner end is made to t over the body of theinner endI ring orvtube c, and the outer extensions g of the succeeding rings are telescoped within or embraced by the inner extensionsfof adjoining ring-sections. l By thus successively connecting the ring-sections it is obvious that a substantially continuous bearing-tube may be formed of the desired length, which is adapted to loosely surround an axle or shaft-spindle. In order to insert a set of bearing-balls within each of the peripheral grooves of the spindle, one of the sections c is rst so arranged with reference to the other as to bring its opening h immediately over one of the spindle-grooves, thus admitting of the bearing-balls e being dropped downward through said opening into said groove, after which said ring-section is pushed inward vuntil the end of its extension f abuts against the body of the ring and the rounded shoulder i of said section isY in contact with and forms a partial bearing for the bearing-balls thus inserted.

In the construction of the outer one of the rings c the outward extension g is omitted.

In order to utilize my improved bearing in a wheel-hub lo, such as shown in the drawings, I provide the bore of said hub with a tubular lining or sleeve k, having external threads on its end portions.

m represents an end washer or capplate, the body of which is made tol surround the axle at the junction of the latter with its spindle, the inwardly-projecting neck portion of which extends within a recess at the inner ICO end of the hub and has a screw-threaded engagement with the internal sleeve k. The spindle having the sectional boxing thereon, formed as hereinbefore described, is inserted Within the hub-sleeve 7a until the inner end of said box bears against thc capplate m, after which a cap-plate n is made to close the outer end of the boxing, said outerend cap-plate having an internallythreaded neck portion, which, as indicated in the drawings, is adapted to engage with the external threads of the outer end of the sleeve 71:'.

From the construction and operation which I have herein shown and described it Will be seen that the bearing-balls Will have their inner surfaces running and bearing Within the peripheral grooves of the spindle, while their outer surfaces will bear partially against the concaved ends ofthe forward extensions of the rings and partially against the shoulders i of said rings. By forming the boxing of the correspondingly-shaped sections c it is evident that the same may be made of any desired length and that a reliable and effective form of ball-bearing is produced which will withstand great Wear and which will be inexpensive and easy of construction.

Although the bearing herein described is shown as connected with a vehicle-Wheel hub, it is evident that said bearing might be employed for shaftng or other spindles.

It will be observed that the end caps m and .n will not only serve to hold firmly in place the boxing-sections, but that the heads of said caps` which are of greater diameter than the necks thereof, will bear against the hub ends and operate to retain the hub against any lateral movement on the sleeve 7c. In this manner the end caps, in conjunction with the sleeve k, will serve to bind the hub and its boxing parts together.

Having nonr fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a ball bearing the combination 'with a spindle or shaft having a number of peripheral grooves therein, of a boxing surroundessere ing said spindle, said boxing consisting of a number of tubular sections or rings telescoped one Within the other and bearing balls bearing partially in the spindle grooves and partially within corresponding grooves formed between the telescoped ring sections, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a ball bearing the combination With aspindle or shaft a having peripheral grooves therein, of a tubular boxing surrounding said spindle, said boxing consisting of a number of ring sections c adapted to tit one Within the other, each of said ring sections having an opening therethrough and grooves corresponding to those in the shaft, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In a ball bearing the combination with a spindle or shaft having peripheral grooves therein, of a boxing loosely surrounding said spindle, said boxing consisting otV a number of short tubes or ring sections, said sections having grooves corresponding to those in the shaft and inner and outer extensions of less thickness than the bodies of the rings, the inner extensions ot' said rings having openings therethrough and being adapted to overlap the outer extensions of adjoining rings, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4t. In a ball bearing the combination With a spindle or shaft, having grooves therein, a boxing sleeve having grooves in its inner surface loosely surrounding the same, bearing balls between said sleeve and spindle and bearing in said grooves and ahub body about said sleeve, of end caps m and??l each having an inwardly extending internally threaded neck portion, the latter having a threaded engagement with the ends of said sleeve and the heads of said caps having a bearing against the ends of said hub body andthe ends of the boxing, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

FRANCIS M. LEGl-INER.

In presence oli- C. C SHEPHERD, A. L. PHELPs. 

